Concentrator



A. H. STEBBINS CONCENTRATOR Filed June 30, 192 2 V/NVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 19, 1924.

UNITED STA ES PATENT oFi-"ica.

ALBERT a. surname, or nos ,ANGELES, cntrroma.

Application filed June so, 1922. Serial n. 572,048.

- Toallwhomitmy concern:-

Be it known that I, AIBERT H. S'rmnms, a citizen of "the United States,.residing at Los Angeles, in the count of Los An les and State ofCalifornia, ave invente an Improvement inOoncentrators, of which thefollowing descri tion, in connection with the accompanying raw-in is aspecification, like characters on the rawings representing like parts.

ment of ores or other materials that are in' a relatively fine state,and effects separation of the materials in accordance with theirdifierences in specific gravity.

One important feature of the'present invention resides in a casinghaving a wall sodisposed spirally within the case to impart a spirallywhirling movement to air bearing the materials to be treated so that theheavier particles within the air will be thrown out-*1 tudinally withinthe wall of the casing at wardly by centrifugal force.

Another feature of the invention resides in a casing having an aperturein a wall thereof through which the heavier particles are thrown bcentrifugal force, and in a nozzle adjusta 1y mounted adj ac'ent theaperture for directing a blast of air inwardly to deflect the lightermaterials inwardly away from the aperture.

Another feature ofhe invention resides in a casing'havin'g a spiral wallwithin one i portion thereof to impart a spiral movement to the airwithin the casing and having spaced bafiie walls in another portion ofthe casling to promote separation of the materla s. 1

Other features of the invention and novel combination-of parts inaddition to the abovewill be hereinafter described in connection withthe accompanying drawings which illustrate one good practical formthereof.

mounted atone end of the casin .rotated by a pulle 12 to force t ematerial bearin .iher'eo with'awhirling movement. The fan In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through a concentratorconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view take on line 2- 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the. portion of the concentrator shownin section in Fig. 2'; and

Fig. 4 is a view-of a detail of the lIlVQn'.

tion to be described.

- The concentrator of the present jinvene tion has a casing 10 which maybecylindrical in shape and is shown as supported in a horizontalposition. The materials to .be treated are carried into the casing 10 byair, and in the present case a fan 11 5s 10 and is air into t e casingand lengthwise 11 is enclosed by a housing 13 secured to an end wall '14'of the casing, and the housing preferably flares outwardly toward thecas mg as shown. The air bearin' the materials to be treated isdelivered to t e fan housin by a pipe 15 that enters the housing througan end thereof.

The whirling movement imparted to the air bythe fan serves to throw theheavler particles within the air outwardly by contrifugal force againstthe wall of the casing 10, and a slot or opening 16 is formed longithe'lower side thereof through which the heavier materials may pass. 1

It is found desirable to protect from the direct path of the air theheavier particles that have been thrown outwardly .'therefrom bycentrifugal force, and to arrest their movement longitudinally of theeasing and to this end a spiral wall 17 may be provided within thecasingl extending 1nwardly from the wall of t e casing. The spiral wallhelps to romote whirling movement of the air wit I rects toward saidslot the heavier materials that enter between adjacent spirals so thatthey will escape through the slot 16. It

should be noted that thespiral wall 17 sur- 7 rounds the central o%eningextending longitudinally through t e casing, and that a large portion ofthe air delivered by the fan 11 will pass lengthwise of the casing thecasing," and diwith the heavier particles, and to this end nozzles 18are mounted adjacent theslot 16 to direct blasts of air against thematerials that ap roach the slot to deflect the lighter n cured to ears20extending outwardly mate'ria s away from the slot. In the present casenozzles are provided for directing a blastof air-inwardly between eachpair of coils of the spiral wall 17, and the mouth of each nozzle isflattened out to give the blast of air it delivers a width substantiallegual to the space between the adjacent co' 0 the spiral walL. Thenozzles preferably are supported for adjustment relative to the slot 16,and to this end each nozzle 16 may be mounted in a bracket 19 adjustablysefrom a wall of the casing, 10. The brac ts 19 preferably are slottedas shown and are secured to the ears 20 for swinging and slidingadjustment by bolts 21. is supplied to the nozzles by pipes 22 and thevolume of air may be controlled by valves 23.

Below the casing 10 are rovided a series" of receptacles 24: preferab yhaving. partitions 25' arranged so that the materials that escapebetween different coils of the spiral wall 17 will enter differentreceptacles, and

ggch receptacle may discharge into a hopper Considerable air may enterthe receptacles 24 from the casing 10 and in the present case this airisreturned to the fan 11. and is again delivered to the casing 10. To thisend in the construction shown, each receptacle has an upwardly extendingportion 27 t at the upper end of which is a pipe 28; The pipes 28communicate with a transversely extending pipe 29 that leadsto the mainpipe 15. The heavier materials that .enter the receptacles 24 will movedownward therein into the hopper 26, and the air within thesereceptacles with the lighter particles that may remain therein iszeturned throu h the ipes'28, 29 and 15 to! he 10 or furt or treatment.30% the plpes 28 may be adjusted to control the flow of air from thereceptacles 24.

In the embodiment of the invention shown, the splra'l wall 17 does notextend throu h the entire length of the casing but s rep aced at theleft hand portion of the casing by spaced baflie walls 31 having largecentral opemngls through which the air at the center ,of t e casingpasses and escapes through the discharge conduit 32 leading from thedelivery end of the container 10.

'The bafile walls 31 serve to retard movement of the air longitudinallyof the casing 10,

' inwar treated into'the casing and this gives the heavier particleswhich still remain in the air an opportunity to settle between thebafiie walls 33 and escape through the slot 16 into the alignedreceptacles24.

What is claimed is:

1. A concentrator comprising in combination, a substantially cylindricalcasing having a relatively wide discharge slot extend ing longitudinallyof aside wall thereof, a fan at one end of said casing for forcing airbearing the materials to be treated centrally through the casing with alongitudinal whirling movement that throws the heavier particlesoutwardly by centrifugal force through said slot, and an air nozzle fordirecting a jet of air inwardly through said slot and in a direction todeflect the lighter materials approaching the slot ining a relativelywide discharge slot extend-' ing longitudinally of a side wall thereof,means for forcing air bearing the materials to be treated lengthwise ofthe casing with a longitudinal whirli movement that throws the heavierparticles outwardly by centrifu al force throu' h the slot, an airnozzle or direct a et of air inwardly throng-said slot an in a directionto deflect the li hter materials approaching the slot dly away fromtheslot, and means for supportm the air nozzle in different positions of ajustment;

3. A concentrator comprising in combination, a substantially centrifugalcasing having a relatively wide discharge slot extending longitudinallyof a side wall there of, meansr forcing air bearing the ma terials to betreated lengthwise of the casing with a longitudinalwhirling movementthat throws tht heavier particles outwardly by centrifugal force throughthe slot, and means for directing a jet of air inwardly through saidslot at one edge thereof to deflect the lighter materials approachingthe slot inwardly away from the slot.

4. A. concentrator comprisin in combination, a' substantially cylinrical casing having a discharge slot-extending lon tudinally of a sidewall thereof, means or delivering air bearing the materials to be of totravel central y through the vcasing with a whirling movement thatthrows the heavier particles outwardly'by centrifugal force, a siral'wall within the casing encircling t e air passage therethrough andadapted to arrest the heavier particles thrown outwardly b centrifugalforce and to direct themto sai slot, and means for direnting a jet ofair inwardl adjacent the slot and in a direction to de eat from the slotthe. lighter materials approaching the same.

through an end-there 120 5. A concentrator, comprising in combination, asubstantial! cylindrical casing having a dischar sot extendinglongitudinally of a si one end of said. casing for forcin air bearingthe materials to be treate oentrall through the casing with alongitudinal whir ing movement that throws the heavier particlesoutwardly by centrifugal force, and a spiral wall extending inwardlyfrom the wall of the casing to form a ide for directing the heaviermaterials t at enter between the spirals toward the discharge slot.

6. A concentrator comprising, incombination, a substantially cylindricalcasin having a discharge slot extending longitudinally of a wallthereof, a spiral wall extending inwardly from the wall of the casingand surrounding a core forming an air passage centrally through thecasing, and means for delivering air carrying the materials to betreated lengthwise through the casing with a spiral whirling movement tocause the e wall thereof, a fan at 7. A concentrator comprising, incombination, a casing having a dischar e slot extending longitudinallythereof, a anfor delivering air bearing the materials to be treated intothe casing to travel centrally longitudinally thereof with a whirlingmovement so that the heavier particles arethrown' outwardly bycentrifugal force to pass through the slot, a spiral wall within thecasing or promoting whirling movement of the material bearing air andada ted to receive between the' spirals the eavier materials thrownoutwardly by the'whirling movement, and a series of receptacles forreceiving the materials discharged through dif: ferent portions of saidslot. 1

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT H. STEBBINS.

